Former Debenhams CEO and managing director Steven Cook has been named the new CEO of Country Road Group – the company behind Australian brands such as Witchery, Trenery, Mimco, Politix and Country Road.
This comes just over two weeks after the recent resignation of Raju Vuppalapati.
Parent company Woolworths Holdings Limited (South Africa) confirmed Cook’s appointment, with WHL group CEO Roy Bagattini calling him a highly accomplished retail executive with over 30 years of global experience.
“Along with his deep business expertise and experiences successfully growing leading brands and organisations, he has held senior leadership roles at Holt Renfrew and Sears in Canada and served as chief executive of Debenhams in the UK,” Bagattini said.
“Steven is a results-driven, people-focused leader and will be instrumental in driving the successful execution of our CRG strategy and shaping its next phase of profitable growth.”
Cook’s experience also includes being president of Calvin Klein in the late 1990s. Alongside his new appointment, Cook is also a non-executive director at UK-based home decor brand Mrs. Alice and online retail group Freemans Grattan Holdings.
The shift in leadership follows a tumultuous recent past for Country Road Group, which included a review into harassment allegations early last year, as well as subdued consumer demand putting pressure on sales and margins.
In WHL’s latest trading update, the Australian fashion group’s gross profit dropped by 13.5 per cent during the 26 weeks to December 29 last year, compared to the same period in 2023, with its profit before tax down 93.6 per cent.